Chapter 19: The Encounter
I lovingly rubbed the backs of my fingers upon the child's forehead until he slowly closed his eyes. After pressing my lips lightly on his wrinkled head and tucking in some blankets around his little body upon a makeshift crib, I collected the stack of towels on the nightstand at our side and made my way to the refresher adjacent to our cabin. Though the ship that Din and the others had flown in was currently not fit to fly, it was thankfully still operational in that it could continue providing us with shelter, given that it was still equipped with light and running water. The Coalition technicians and engineers had estimated that, though they were attempting to fix the ship as quickly as they could, it would take several days before she would fly again. At the very least, the vessel provided us with a safer place to stay until we received further orders.
After the Coalition had reunited by the Compound - after I had finally found Din - we had returned to the now established forward command centre amidst our landing zone. A few more Coalition ships had arrived to reinforce our reentry into Grá, thus beginning the next phase of my father's operation. More would come, we had been told. As we had searched for Din and the others, the combatants that we had left behind had managed to secure the area without any resistance. Now, our reclaimed territory was bustling with combatants setting up their own camps and tents, eager to create a stronghold as quickly as possible.
We didn't know how long the quiet would last.
The murmur of running water halted as I reached the refresher entrance. I gently rapped my knuckles upon the steel door. "Din?"
Given the stark silence around us, the sound of his helmet resealing distinctly resonated from within the room. The door whoosed open shortly afterwards, revealing Din in nothing but his helmet and trousers, still damp from his shower. At his sight, I instinctively cleared my throat, willed my now red cheeks to stop flushing, and focused my eyes on anywhere but his body…
….although they did scan his form briefly…
Several times.
Din appeared amused at my display, regarding me with a slanted look. Disregarding his actions, I stiffly extended both of my arms and offered the towels to him in silence, my eyes still refusing to land on his bared skin.
"Thank you," Din said lightly, accepting my offering without removing his gaze from my face. He paused briefly, then said warmly, "You know, Luna… you don't have to be shy around me."
Though I heard him loud and clear, I busied myself by counting the number of vents above us. There were three. "Erm… what...what do you mean?"
"I mean," he took a step forward and closed the space between us. I could now feel the warmth radiating from his body, making my body involuntarily shiver, "you're having difficulty looking at me."
I crossed my arms in defiance and began to tap my foot distractedly. "I am not!"
Din gingerly took my chin in his fingertips and coaxed me to fix my gaze upon his visor. "Given what we did prior to my leaving Kalevala, I think we are way past being embarrassed at staring at bare flesh."
Be that as it may, the thought of what Din and I had done - no, what Din had done to me - only encouraged my cheeks to grow even redder. I knew such pleasures existed, but the fact that it was Din who had touched me, who had made me feel so many emotions simultaneously, made our connection even more special. I pushed at his shoulder playfully. "You are not helping!"
Din snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me into the room. The door closed behind me. His eyes raked through my form. "I want you to feel comfortable with me, Luna. In every circumstance."
I'm comfortable, Din, I thought to myself.
I'm just trying not to pounce on you right now.
Instead of admitting what was truly going on in my mind, I only managed to bite my tongue and nod.
Din regarded me for a few moments, not saying a word. He raised his fingers to the side of my face, tenderly feeling the skin that he found there. "I didn't think I would see you again."
My brows knitted at the emotion in his voice, holding his hand to my face. "I'm here, Din. I'm not going anywhere."
Din began the process of dressing his various wounds, his muscles tensing periodically as he did so. His tanned skin was marked with blue bruises, jagged cuts, and deep scrapes; evidence of his and his crewmen's plight prior to our reunion. Frowning at the sight, I made my way to his side once more and lightly kissed his shoulder. I felt culpable for bringing him into this mess. Without a word, I took the bacta spray from the counter and began to apply the solution generously upon his injured body. Though Din inhaled sharply at some of the contact, he didn't protest my actions and allowed me to continue the treatment.
My mind flashed to what Cara had said to us prior to ending her transmission:
He knows where you are. And he's coming.
Though I didn't want to press Din given what he and the others had just endured, the urgency in Cara's tone underlined that this 'Moff Gideon' wasn't just an ordinary problem. What's more is that time really was of the essence at this point; with more and more Coalition members coming to Grá throughout the next phase of my father's operation, if Imperial scum was going to add to our plight, we needed a plan.
I traced my fingers along Din's arm, reveling in the surprising softness of his skin. "Din, what happened? How did you and the ship end up here?"
He turned to face me and rested his hands upon my waist. "After our comms went out during my last transmission to your father, we were able to neutralize the marauder troops that had laid a trap for us. At that point, we were way off course and the ship had sustained some heavy damage. We didn't have a choice but to land on Grá. No comms. No backup. Marauder troops on the ground closed in. We were heavily outnumbered." His grip on me tightened. "During the fight, I was knocked out. When I woke, I was in the Compound, held captive. It wasn't long before the others came to find me, and I escaped. Then we...we found each other."
My brows furrowed. "But...why were you the only one taken to the Compound?"
Din appeared even more uncomfortable. I wrapped my arms around his neck in an attempt to soothe him.
"Diabhal knows who I am...," Din finally said, his voice strained, "...and about the child."
My blood ran cold, thoughts rampant. "Din, what do you mean she knows who you are? How could she even know?"
"The marauder troops specifically targeted me. They spoke as though a reward was awaiting them for my capture." He gave his head a shake, his stare landing on the door behind me. "Moff Gideon has been searching for the child. I last fought him on Nevarro. I didn't know that he survived." His gaze fell upon me once more. "But he wants the child - and, by extension, he wants me. After our skirmish, he must have broadcasted his desires all over the Outer Rim - perhaps the galaxy - along with a reward. Diabhal must have found out."
"Maybe blood credits is not all that Diabhal is after." Anger surged through me, the thought alone making my blood boil. "Perhaps she wants an ally."
So many planets in the Outer Rim have been destroyed, ransacked...embroiled in power struggles from both within and outside of the planet. So many have been conditioned for years to tremble at the iron fist of the Empire, to bend at their will no matter what the circumstance. Though the Empire was gone, its remnants were not; having an Imperial Moff with influence as an ally throughout this time of lawlessness and chaos would further cement Diabhal's hold on my planet.
And she knows it.
My heart began to grow heavy as our current circumstances became clearer. "Din, if Gideon is coming here, then…" I turned my head in the direction of our cabin, thinking about the child, "...then you and the child need to get away from here…"
"No." He jerked me towards him and wrapped me in a tight embrace. "I am not leaving you."
I revelled in the feeling of his warm body for a few moments, then pulled away slightly. I looked up to meet his gaze, my trembling hands resting on his chest. "Din, I didn't know what I would do if I had lost you," I admitted, overcome with emotion, "and knowing now that the child could be in danger as well? It would destroy me even more if anything happened to him…"
Din remained tense. "I am not going to let anything happen to you or the child." He shook his head vehemently, his tone clearly stating that the decision was not open for discussion. "I will not run from Gideon. Let him come."
(V)(V)(V)
Din and I resolved to acquire some much-needed rest despite the current situation weighing heavily on our minds. The worn out warrior fell asleep almost instantly, his arm lightly draped around my waist, body relaxed as though he hasn't rested well in days. Even though the rise and fall of his firm chest upon my back brought me some solace, my mind continued to race, disconcerted by the fact that I knew what was to come, but had no idea what the outcome would be. I couldn't even fathom what my father was going through back in Kalevala, and how heavy the weight on his shoulders must be.
We were putting everything on the line. Making one last stand to regain our home.
Even with our incoming reinforcements, could we even win this?
With a sigh, I embraced Din's arm more tightly around me, squeezing as though it was the only thing keeping me from the imminent danger that was in our not-so-distant future.
My mind began to replay all that had happened to bring me to this very moment; all of the things that I had gone through that led me back to my father and the inevitable fight for my planet. Perhaps there was such a thing as destiny. Fate. Some power, some force in this galaxy, that brought people together.
Something that had brought Din into my life.
Though our meeting was certainly not ideal, neither of us could have predicted that our lives would be connected like this. That he would now be at my side, ready to fight. Ready to risk his life for a cause that wasn't even his own to begin with.
"I love you, Din Djarin," I whispered, kissing the back of his hand.
As though I had just spoken a spell, my eyes began to grow heavier, my body finally relaxing.
Our modicum of reprieve did not last.
The ship's violent trembling shook me wide awake once more. Din sat up with a start, fully alert after mere seconds, already reaching for his blaster. At our side, the baby awoke with a sharp cry, startled and confused by the commotion.
The heavy pounding of fists upon our cabin door then sounded. "Luna! Din!" The panic in Brion's curt voice was clear. "We've got company! We need to move!"
Another explosion occurred nearby as though to underline his point. The impact was closer this time around. Distressed, I placed on my Mandalorian armour as quickly as I could manage, movements clumsy in my panic. Din, as seasoned a warrior as he was, donned on his garb in mere seconds, then took the wailing child in his arms and attempted to soothe him. Meanwhile, curses flew through my tightened lips as my struggle continued. Din used his free hand to help me until all parts of the armour were secured. He then reached for our weapons.
I grasped Din's arm and looked down at the child. "Din, w-what...what are we going to do about him?"
His protective hold on the child tightened, as though the same question flashed through his mind. "He stays with us."
With little recourse at this point, we placed the child in my backpack once more, which I strapped on tightly. As soon as we were certain that he was comfortable enough, we raced through the ship, noting the newly-damaged parts as we passed.
Din scanned the scene as soon as we exited the ship. Flashes of light surrounded our stronghold. Several ships were already engulfed in flames. Pandemonium had erupted as Coalition combatants rushed to their formations, setting up a perimeter as quickly as they could manage.
"Marauder artillery guns," Din growled, readying his blaster in front of him. "They're close."
Panic gripped me as my eyes went wide beneath my helmet. "What can we do? Our reinforcements haven't arrived…"
"We survive…" He turned his head almost imperceptibly towards me. "...and we fight."
The unexpected explosion to our right almost knocked me off-balance and caused the child to whimper. A heavier barrage of rounds began, each burst reverberating through my very core. Deafening. Blinding. The continued proximity of the detonations unnerved me - not because of my worry for my own safety, but that of the child. When my footing was steady once more, I activated my Mandalorian power shield with a grunt, attempting to observe my surroundings in order to get my bearings.
"Luna, go!" Din coaxed me forward as he dug into his current position. "Run!"
Several Coalition members urged us to follow them as they retreated to a safer distance towards nearby mountains. "I did not travel halfway across the galaxy to find you to just leave you behind!" I cried sharply, tugging at his arm. "Now come on!"
Another explosion to our left - this time, mere meters from where we stood.
The ground began to crumble beneath our feet, the cracks in the earth snaking their way closer and closer towards us.
It was Din's turn to grab my arm as he sped forward in front of me. "Keep running, Luna!"
The effort was so great that it felt as though my lungs were about to burst; however, with heavy breaths, I continued to push through the agony, knowing that this was now a matter of life and death - not just for me, but for the three of us.
It was then that a fusillade of blaster shots appeared from our right. Several shots missed my shield and grazed my breastplate. The impact was enough to take my meagre breath from my lungs, causing me to stumble. Din took a few hits to his backplate armour as he leaned forward, placing his body in front of me and the child to shield us. The mere seconds that we attempted to defend ourselves from the blasts kept us from reuniting with the other Coalition combatants in the distance.
The enemy closed in.
Din hurriedly scanned our surroundings for any semblance of cover. With little options remaining, he pulled me towards a nearby rock outcropping. As we crouched low behind it, shots continued to fly above our heads, pieces of rock exploding around us.
Din spoke into his comlink. "Brion! Brion, do you copy?"
"Din!" Came Brion's static-lined voice. "I copy, but your signal is weak."
"We're pinned down! Coordinates sent."
"Acknowledged." Several blasts sounded in his background. "We're trying to hold them back on the western perimeter. Sending your coordinates to the others as well. Hang in there!"
As Din called for aid, I placed the child down between us, ensuring that he was behind cover as much as possible. He only chirped at me briefly, then looked up at his father. In swift movements, I unholstered my weapon and began to fire back in retribution, taking cover periodically when I was met with more shorts in return. My visor distinctly noted at least a dozen marauders closing in, moving as a group in a semi-circle formation around us. In a desperate effort, I activated my wrist-mounted flamethrower, extending the flames around us in a sweeping motion.
The blaster fire stopped.
In the stillness of the night, a pair of clapping hands sounded.
"That's quite the show. Perhaps it's to be expected of Mandalorians!"
My head instantly snapped upwards at Din. "Diabhal," I said through clenched teeth, making a move out of cover to shoot. "She's mine."
With a curt shake of his head, Din placed a stern arm in front of me, holding me back. At first, I didn't understand his hesitation, but when I looked back out once more, it was only then that I realized that the number of heat signatures in front of us almost tripled.
However, only one form moved towards us.
A distinct crackle-and-buzz noise sounded. The area surrounding the form was suddenly illuminated in bright light. Upon closer inspection, the figure now held a saber-like weapon; it was dark at its core, though outlined by white light and adorned by what appeared to be white patterns of lightning throughout. One calm, calculated step after another, the figure that now approached materialized as a taller man, adorned in all black, a long cape swinging in the wind behind him. The darkness of the night that blanketed us made it difficult to see his features.
At my side, Din seemed to have frozen in his place.
He didn't seem frightened - he was bewildered.
A low voice that was laced with contempt pierced the air around us:
"You have something that belongs to me."
Without a word or even a warning, Din walked past me and right out into the open. I attempted to instantly pull him back to safety, but he refused, holding out his hand towards me.
His focus remained on the figure before us.
The sole man wielded the glowing saber in front of him, the light now illuminating his wrinkled face. "I can see that you know what this is," he threw Din an amused smirk, waving his weapon before him, as though tauntingly, "and what it means."
Din's chest began to visibly heave up and down, his anger emanating from beneath his armour. He continued to hold me back behind him, his right hand readied upon his weapon.
"Now, Din Djarin…" the tip of the saber was now pointed towards him, "...give me the child."
(V)(V)(V)
A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! So, I had a hell of a lot of ideas pop into my head within the past couple of weeks and am very excited to share them with you. Given that there are some other huge story arcs that I want to explore, I will most likely start a *drum roll* Volume 2 sometime in the future! I want to end "The Captive: Volume I" with a bang and get started on Volume 2. Hopefully, Season 2 will have some more threads for me to pull on as I go! However, there's more to come, so stay tuned! :) As always, thank you for all of your support. Hope you enjoyed this one! Cheers. xx IFHD
